<p>hey, does anyone have anything to say on these departments at colby:</p>
<p>-english
-theatre
-french (they have a french/italian combined department, right? i'm not so sure i'd like that too much...)</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I hope someone can answer your questions.</p>
<p>Howdy, theHyacinthgirl!</p>
<p>I'm only a freshman here at Colby, and I have yet to take any English classes, and may never take any class in French. (A friend of mine - another freshman - is in France right now, otherwise I'd ask her about the dept.) However, as a future theatre major (you can't declare until the end of your first year), I've got a few thoughts on the theatre department, and they're almost entirely positive.</p>
<ol>
<li>It's a very small department (less than 20 majors, and only 4 professors, plus our wonderful tech director, and a visiting artist), but at a place like Colby, size is rarely an indicator of departmental strength. What you'll find is that the theatre "department" is less a department than a community. Faculty and students alike interact and support each other, all because of their shared passion for theatre. (Indeed, "shared passion" is a common motivator at Colby.)</li>
<li>You can learn just as much by working on a play as by taking a class. In fact, all department-produced plays (as opposed to student-produced plays - more on that later) count as credited courses. That way, you're encouraged to synthesize the theoretical/historical/etc. knowledge you pick up in class with the practical experience of producing a show.</li>
<li>Few non-majors take any theatre classes other than, perhaps, acting or dance. So, most classes are small, even by Colby standards.</li>
<li>If you want to be involved in theatre, but don't necessarily want to major/minor (what can you do with a BA in Theatre/Dance, anyway?), you can always find some way to get involved. Priority to majors/minors is almost nonexistent in casting, and even if you get cut from the department show, there's other options: Broadway Musical Revue (BMR), Powder and Wig (student theatre group, produces one or two shows a semester), Dinner Theatre (a show a semester). All of these productions are usually well-attended.</li>
<li>My one gripe about the department is that, due to the size, large musical theatre productions go up only once every two or three years. It would be quite an ordeal for the theatre and music departments, both being "small" and having limited resources, to stage musicals every year. I miss singing on stage...</li>
<li>Okay, I lied. I have another gripe - the physical resources are a bit underwhelming. Strider Theater (a.k.a. "Stridre Theatre") is rather small, and though the Cellar, our black box theater, is rather flexible (as black boxes tend to be), it also lacks the grandeur of a sweeping proscenium theater. This isn't a knock on anything beside the physical spaces - through clever recycling, a just-enough budget, and quite a bit of savoir faire, most productions look good despite the downright ugliness of Strider.</li>
</ol>
<p>Also worth note is that Powder and Wig, being an official "club," also runs social activities from time to time, to encourage closeness within the department - and no, you don't need to be a member to come. (Membership's kinda loose, anyway. I'm not entirely sure I'm in it...)</p>
<p>Well...I hope my shill has provided you with plenty of information, and perhaps even convinced you to seriously consider our lovely little school (if you weren't already).</p>
<p>Cheers!
"Entree the Giant"
Colby '08</p>